Secret Life of Pets
by Grizzly98
Summary: Don't let their innocent expressions and adorable eyes fool you. When their Human leaves the apartment this strange bunch of animals come out to play. Lead by a monkey that enjoys making mischief as much as he does eating, this bunch will drive even the sanest man crazy.
1. Normal

**The Secret Life of Pets 2 came out...I couldn't get the idea of the SHs as animals out of my head...Thus we end up with this. Is there something of an idea there? Yes. Do I know if I'll be writing on it again anytime soon. Depends on if I can focus.**

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**Secret Life of Pets**

Chapter 1

Normal

Early morning sunlight creeps through a set of closed blinds, revealing a bundle of blankets. Snoring emits from the bundle, quietly mirrored by a lump sprawled out on a shelf high on the wall opposite the window and the creeping sunlight. Just as the sunlight hits the foot of the bed, a sharp alarm rings out from the phone on the nightstand. The louder snoring from the bundle of blankets cuts off sharply and a pale hand emerges to reach in the general direction. When the hand misses the phone the first three times a muffled curse follows and finally a head of wild pink hair appears. Hitting the snooze, a chocolate eye turns to the shelf on the far wall.

The quietly snoring lump is still there…

With a sigh, the human goes to tuck back into the blankets when she hears a thump from the nightstand. Groaning, she pulls back the covers to find that while the lump on the shelf hadn't been interrupted one of the five other occupants of the apartment had been. Smiling softly, a pale hand emerges from the covers once more to stroke the tabby cat's bright orange ears. In response the Maine Coon reaches up, grabbing the human's hand with just the slightest amount of force from her claws, her amber eyes narrowing in anger.

The human flinches, getting the message. "My apologies, Nami." She murmurs, "I didn't mean to wake you up."

In response the Maine Coon seems to smirk, her eyes glinting in the dim light before she turns her head, looking at the lump on the shelf. The human gets the sense that something very bad is about to happen and finally sits up, turning to look in the same direction just as the Maine Coon, Nami meows loudly. The human stares in horror as the lump's snoring stops and Nami jumps down, her tail swishing in satisfaction as she stalks out of the room.

What was formerly a snoring lump on the shelf begins to shift, a soft groan following it rising. In the dim light coming through the blinds the form stretches revealing a small lithe body, a round head, and a tail the human knows to be near two feet in length. It sits up, turning to look at the human and she groans, falling back into her bed. As if that's the cue a loud screech comes from the form and the human ducks under the covers just as the Capuchin lands on her bed. It runs up and down her bed and her, loudly whining in need until the human gives another groan, peeking out from her hiding place.

"Okay! Okay! I will get you food, Luffy!" Just like that, it's quiet once again. However, the human knows it won't last long. Her little monkey is very vocal and when he doesn't get what he wants he makes it well known. With a much put upon sigh of fondness, the human gets up, looking over to find the Capuchin sitting the poster of the bed, watching her intently. And she shakes her head, tapping her shoulder once before standing and sliding her phone in her pocket. "One of these days, Luffy, one of these days."

Understanding the command, Luffy leaps up onto her shoulder, his tail wrapping around her neck to procure a good hold before the human leaves her room, walking down the short hallway into a spacious living room. Ignoring the Jack Rabbit sitting on the counter that divides the living room from the kitchen she steps over the pit bull laid out on the floor, scratches behind Nami's ear and finally enters the kitchen, walking toward the fridge to pull out four different bowls labeled with names. Setting them apart she turns to the pantry beside the fridge to pull out the fifth and final bowl, taking the lid off before setting in on the highest shelf. Then she returns to the first four. Removing a lid at a time she sets Luffy's on the counter off to her right. Without urging, Luffy steps off her shoulder and reaches into the bowl, beginning to eat even as he watches her set the next bowl on the floor with a click of her tongue.

The pit bull, a mountain of muscled green fur rolls onto his belly and with a look at the woman he gets up, walking to his bowl to begin chowing. In the ever growing light from the rising sun, it becomes clearer the amount of scarring the admittedly young pit bull bears and the woman sighs, reaching down to scratch around the three gaping holes scarred into the flesh in a way she knows he likes first thing in the morning. He pauses in his eating, dark brown eyes showing a look of gratitude before he returns to his food.

With him taken care of, the woman turns to find Nami pointing her nose in the air as if disagreeing with her choice. The woman just giggles, opening up the tabby's bowl. "Calm down, Nami. Just because I was paying attention to Zoro doesn't mean I haven't forgotten about you." To prove her words to the mischievous cat, she peels one of the tangerines sitting in the bowl on the counter knowing the Maine Coon has an odd liking for the fruit.

Finding Nami satisfied with the offering, the woman turns back to the next bowl only to find the Jack Rabbit having already opened his bowl. She scowls, wagging her finger at the black and tan rabbit. "Bad Sanji, you know better." The rabbit's ears fold back at the scolding, his eye widening ever the slightest and the woman sighs, unable to avoid the Jack Rabbit's ever-adorable pleading look. She pushes his bowl further to her left and _away _from Luffy's sticky paws. "I'll forgive you this time, Sanji but don't go doing that again." Of course, even as she says those words all the occupants know that it's a lie. He'll end up doing it again simply because he knows how to open the containers...

How he ever learned to do that is far beyond her.

With a shake of her head, she picks up the last bowl. "Chopper!" She calls out, walking toward the wall. Peeling off the lid, she sets it beside a small hole cut into the wall and smiles when a black tipped nose appears from the hole followed by a pair of black eyes framed by the black mask most mistake for a raccoon's. The more he leaves his hidey-hole the more detail is revealed to the woman and when the creature is sitting in front of his bowl she scratches his ears. "How is my favorite Tanuki this morning?" The Tanuki rumbles, pushing his head further into her hand.

Satisfied to know Chopper's okay, she rises to her feet and looks at the bowl in the pantry, chuckling at the Chipmunk. "Good morning to you too, Usopp. I hope you weren't causing any trouble with Chopper last night." She's no fool to not know the two get into some mighty trouble if left alone for too long. As it is, Usopp just munches on his fruit, his tail twitching in nervousness. The human turns away, looking around to find all five animals happily eating away and she nods, running a hand over her knotted hair with a grimace.

"Right, while you all eat I've gotta go get ready for work." With that she leaves the kitchen, making sure to avoid tripping on Zoro like she tends to do when she's not paying attention.

When she returns to the living room, her hair freshly brushed, changed into a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of work boots, she finds all five of her pets lounging on or around the couch. At the foot of the couch, Zoro is laid out on his back, his paws in the air and a dead snore emanating from his chest. On the back of the couch, Nami is curled up in a spot of sunlight while Luffy lays nearby poking and giggling at Usopp who's popping up from different holes in the couch. Meanwhile, on the seat cushions, Sanji appears to be grooming himself while Chopper's laying at the opposite end from the Capuchin and Chipmunk, quietly snoring away as well.

Smiling softly she walks away from the picture of adorableness and grabs her purse off the hoof by the door. When the animals hear her pick up her keys she chuckles, turning back to find all of them watching her intently. "Alright guys, I'm off. Behave, no chewing on the furniture, Zoro, Sanji, no fighting." And she turns, unlocking the door to slip out before closing it behind her.

**XxX**

As soon as the lock clicks Luffy sits up, his charcoal eyes flashing in the light. He grins. "Sanji."

The Jack Rabbit pauses in his grooming long enough to look at the Capuchin before he nods. "Right away, Captain." With that he leaps onto the back of the couch, using as a springboard to launch himself at the window. He falls just short of the blinds themselves, reaching out with his mouth as he begins his descent he manages to grab hold of the string. Gravity quickly catches up with the sudden stop and he's falling once more, the blinds rising as he gets closer to the ground.

Shaking off the impact he jumps back around to the front of the couch, jumping on Zoro's stomach with a smirk before returning to his spot on the cushion.

Zoro snorts, lifting his head up from where he'd been napping, blinking blearily. "Wha?" Unable to find the source of his nap being disturbed he sets his head back down, huffing. "Shitty rabbit." Just as he's about to doze off again, Sanji jumps back down onto his stomach.

"What was that you mutt?" The Jack Rabbit snarls, his large teeth bared in aggression.

Zoro lifts his head, glaring at the rabbit. "You deaf, long ears? I called you a shitty rabbit."

Sanji thumps a foot hard against the pit bull's stomach and Zoro snarls, rolling over so quickly that Sanji has to jump off to avoid being squashed. For all the pitbull has a massive amount of muscle his legs are somewhat short leaving him low to the ground—perfect for getting into fights where very few animals have been able to bare his stomach but not so much for any animals larger than Usopp who manage to get under him.

With a growl Zoro is on his feet, turning to shove his wide snout in the Jack Rabbit's face. "Try that again and you'll have one less foot shitty rabbit."

The rabbit grins darkly, rising on his back feet. "Go ahead and try you green furball. I know Kan-Gay-Roo."

From the back of the couch, Luffy watches his friends go at it for a few seconds, Zoro lunging at the rabbit with a jaw proven strong enough to snap a human's arm and Sanji retorting with a strong kick. Laughing at their antics he turns, jumping over to the window. He sets a paw on the glass, looking out over the massive buildings that glow with the early morning sun.

"What's the plan today, Luffy?" The Capuchin grins at the question, his delight at the Maine Coon coming to stand beside him visible in the curl of his tail.

With their Human gone for the day as she usually does, it leaves them with hours of freedom to do what they want. Whether that be laze about the apartment, wander the building and visit the other occupants, or go down the block to the training academy and annoy the German Shepherds. Though considering they'd done that three days before, the rule compliant and obedient canines may still be too riled to really have any fun with.

Chirping at the snag in _that _plan he turns, looking back at the couch to find his troop, _his nakama_, standing or leaning over the back to look at him. Zoro, for all that his short legs keep him from high places the rest of them favor, always somehow manages to keep up.

His charcoal eyes glinting with mischief. The others groan. They already know what he's going to say but he'll say it anyway because he can.

"Onto our next adventure!"

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**Anyway, let me know if y'all enjoyed this. I know I enjoyed writing it. It feels good to be back to writing with how scarce my focus has been lately. That said, I'll be back around with more shenanigans some other time. Toodles!**

**Grizzly out for the night.**


	2. Demon

**Hey y'all I'm back with another chapter! **

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**Secret Life of Pets**

Chapter 2

Demon

"Luuffy," His tail twitches at the call of his name belying his wakeful state and causing his Human to giggle. Soft footsteps then his Human is gently running her hand over his fur. Despite himself, he arches his back into the touch, missing such contact from any other being. He loves his Human because she is his but…

When his Human picks him up, he turns to look at her, chirping softly. There is something missing. Yes, his Human is part of his troop but their troop is too small, there is too much silence and not enough warmth that turns their new apartment into a true home. It aches deep in his being that their troop is incomplete and without his choice, it bleeds into his actions.

His Human smiles softly, scratching his belly in just the right spot to make him let out a huff of laughter. "I know what you need, my little monkey." With that, she begins walking away from his dark corner and Luffy sits up, his tail curling around her arm to keep his balance. She walks through the door of their nest, out into the kitchen and main room of the apartment where she stops beside the counter to let him down. When he sees her pick up a familiar yellow and red harness he feels his spirits begin to rise. It's been too long since he got to go play.

Chirping in excitement he steps forward, slipping his head and arms through the proper loops before she even has time to hold it upright. His Human giggles, running her paw down his back again and he hears the clasps click. "You're impatient, you know that?"

Luffy hoots, standing on his hind feet and jumping around the counter. He wants to _go, go, go_ but she wants to be _slow, slow, slow _and it's driving him crazy. On one-hop he slides to a stop near the edge of the counter, his eyes landing on his leash and before she has time to react he leaps off the counter, running for the door. He jumps up, using the handle as a launchpad and manages to grab the leash in his teeth before returning to the wooden floor.

By the time he's pulled the rest of the leash to the ground, his Human is kneeling in front of him, untangling it from his paws and connecting it to his harness. Without her urging, he leaps up to her shoulder, twisting to sit steadily on it once she's standing up straight. As she opens the door, Luffy's nose is assaulted with many scents, most belonging to other Humans but beneath the strong scent that is Human he can pick up the scent of many other animals that have recently trodden the hallway outside their door. He'd get down to investigate each one but he knows his Human has a better place to play then the straight hallway devoid of items to swing and climb.

He'll be patient—something wholly uncommon for him—and wait until his Human begins to leave him alone during the day to explore. That word _alone_, the feelings it stirs deep within of _paincoldfear_, it has him curling his tail tightly around his Human's neck. He knows she doesn't do it to hurt him, that he can't go where she goes all the time, but there's still a sense of _notrightdanger_ that pushes him to escape it by sleeping in a dark corner or leaving the apartment altogether to explore.

When the ground under their feet jolt Luffy looks around, his darkening thoughts and that ever damnable _itch _being pushed aside in favor of discovering what's happening. What he finds is both confusing and intriguing. He tilts his head, observing the monkey in front of him with a quiet chirp before realizing it's him and chattering to the reflection.

Beside him in the reflection his Human smiles, her teeth hidden in that small _not smug _smile Luffy's come to associate as her happy smile. Then the floor under them is jolting again and Luffy lurches forward, almost falling off his Human's shoulder if it weren't for his tail around her neck. Suddenly their reflections are disappearing, leaving only a view of a large room with a set of double doors at the other end leading to the outside world.

Off to the side, there's a desk where another Human sits reading the paper. Laying on the edge of the desk is a large black Short Haired cat with a greying muzzle and beside the desk dozing in a dog bed is a brindle dachshund with just as much grey along his snout. Luffy remembers seeing these two from two days before when they'd first entered this new building. His Human had talked to the Human behind the desk for some time and though both cat and dog did not speak much he'd learned their names were Crocus and Laboon. That they are the keepers of what they call the room a Lobby and their Human is the Doorman.

Remembering their patience with his _nervousexcitedlonely _energy he chirps a greeting, leaning back to find the black Short Hair, Laboon waving his tail in a silent greeting. Crocus, for all that he looks bothered by his doze being interrupted simply huffs a greeting as well, his eyes shining with an emotion the Capuchin can't quite determine before they're stepping out the double doors into the fresh air of the city.

Many strange scents reach his nose and almost immediately Luffy's turning this way and that, stepping every which way to see everything at once. Above the sharp scent of the cars going by, the multitude of Humans having passed by in the past week,—two if it hasn't rained—and the interesting scents coming from the trash bins in the alleys they pass Luffy finds a scent he hasn't smelt in what seems forever...the scent of green growth, of heights and fresh air, of the freedom to climb to his heart's content.

He chitters in excitement, grabbing onto his Human's pelt to keep from jumping too far ahead of her. Granted, his leash means he won't lose her in the crowd of Humans around them but he still wants to get there _now _instead of _soon. _When he realizes her pace hasn't changed Luffy settles for sulking, watching the green fringe some distance away steadily grow in depth and detail.

It's not long, the warmth of the sun on his fur only shifting a minute amount, before his Human is entering the park. Under the boughs of leaves, the shade tempering the morning sun's wrath, Luffy finds himself relaxing almost immediately. There's a soft scent amongst the trees that has him itching to take off and explore but he knows better than to try right away. He and his Human have a routine they have to go through before he's allowed to explore this strange forest by himself. So he waits…

He waits until his Human finds a bench she's content with and sets down her bag before stepping off her shoulder onto the bench beside her. He looks up at her expectantly, his charcoal eyes wide with his silent question and she chuckles, reaching into her bag. "Alright, Luffy, just give me a second to find it." Finally, she pulls out what appears to be a small black box.

Luffy bends down, allowing his Human to attach the box to his harness before sitting up again. She smiles, petting his head gently and reaches behind his harness. "Don't go getting into too much trouble now. The Animal Control in this city doesn't exactly need to know who we are within the first week of living here right?"

He chirps the answer she expects to hear though he knows there's no possible way for him to make that promise. It's not his fault trouble finds him!

She nods and he hears the leash click. "Right, off you go. I'll see you in a little while."

Chittering in excitement he leaps over the back of the bench, heading for the nearest tree. He doesn't even look back, instead, racing up the tree with a speed not even the squirrels can match. It's only once he's in the highest branches of the tree that his pace begins to slow and his ears begin to tune into the chatter of the animals around him.

"So then, I said to her 'if you lose any more feathers you might as well just lie down and call yourself dinner.'" Luffy's head turns in the direction of the conversation and he jumps down a branch, racing across to a limb of the neighboring tree. Running up the trunk of that tree he pokes his head through a lump of foliage startling the two pigeons sitting on the branch.

He grins without showing his teeth—to show his teeth is considered a sign of aggression in all animals beside Humans—and nods his head. "Hello."

The pigeon on his left flutters her wings to hide her shock before tilting her head to the Capuchin. "Why hello to you too. What's a strange beast like you doing here?"

Pulling himself the rest of the way through the foliage he sits on the branch, curling his tail around his paws in a further act of nonaggression. Then he tilts his head back toward where his Human sits. "My Human brought me here to play."

Luffy doesn't miss the look the two pigeons share before the one on the right flaps over to sit closer to him. Already he doesn't like the way her wings sit. The posture reminds him of the old Orange Bellied Parrot that would taunt and pester his old troop. Of the way she'd nag and harry and _distracting the hunters with a flurry of wings—_Luffy shakes his himself to get rid of the _badmeansour_ thoughts before baring his teeth just the slightest. The hint of aggression has the pigeon returning to her previous spot and leaving him alone.

The first pigeon coos _apology_ and he relaxes, eyeing both birds before the second starts to speak. "If you're looking for trouble I'd suggest the playground to the west." And she raises a wing, pointing in the direction opposite the sun's position. "If you're anything like your kind in the zoo to the south you'll want the Training Academy. The Sheps are always giving good animals a bad name." With that, she points in a direction southeast, in the direction Luffy's currently facing.

"Sheps?" He tilts his head in confusion. He knows what a Training Academy is. He'd had loads of fun watching the dogs trip over themselves in their haste to get him. This new phrasing though confuses him.

The second pigeon coos _amusement _and the first ruffles her feathers, eyeing him with something akin to the same. "German Shepherds you daft monkey." When he avoids their eyes out of embarrassment both pigeons laugh before the first continues. "You must not be from around here if you don't know the term. When a German Shepherd from the Academy and his Human are out at least one pigeon with common sense will announce 'The Sheps are coming.'" As one, the two birds pause, their heads turning to face the west. They share a look before turning back to Luffy. "It was nice to meet ya, monkey but it's time to fly. Breakfast is ready."

With that, the pigeons take off from the branch. Luffy grins his full teeth grin and jumps up on the branch. "Bye! It was nice meeting ya!" Once they're out of sight, Luffy turns scratches his head, turning around to reorient himself. "Right, so now what do I do?" He knows there's any number of ways he can have fun and get in trouble. From pickpocketing shiny things from other Humans or finding a food cart and terrorizing the Human until they give him meat. If he wanted he could also find other animals to talk to and learn more about this forest but…

The Capuchin turns to the southeast, his expression unreadable. There's something deep within pushing him to go to the Training Academy. _Curiousneedexplore_. Chirping in confusion he finally gives in to his instincts, leaping from his branch to begin the trek across the forest.

XxX

He wouldn't call this situation shitty—he's been in much worse so something like this doesn't even qualify—but this situation...It most certainly is a pain in his nonexistent tail. Whoever had thought it would be funny to pit him against three Sheps and—he _really_ hopes it's not—a chihuahua is gonna get their ass bit. A small mental nod at his decision he snaps at the Shep to his right getting just a _little _too close for comfort.

Right up until _this _happened he'd been having a shitty morning between having to deal with the crows snatching his food, damn Animal Control trying to catch him, and finding a half-decent spot for a nap.

He'd already tried the park for the latter but after napping under an elder Human's bench ended up with a faceful of pigeons he decided otherwise.

The Shep on his left detours, attempting to get behind him and he lurches forward, his teeth missing the Shep's leg by a hair. "Back off!" He snarls, widening his stance. "I told you to leave them the hell alone!"

He knows he's short, he knows he's not all that fast, but he also knows he's got more than enough muscle in his body and enough teeth to protect himself. When a small mew reaches his ears he glances back at the pile of fur hiding in the box behind him. He can protect himself alright enough...but he doesn't know how he's gonna protect them as well.

If he goes after any one of the Sheps the other two will go after the cats. He can't be having that now.

His mind working quickly with plans, he settles on a hare-brained scheme that—if it works—will take one of the mutts down and give the cats time to run...granted he'll be sore in the morning but to him, it isn't anything new. Settling his weight, he slowly shifts his stance. Like he expects the Sheps pick up the change and act accordingly.

This time it's the one on his right that lurches forward. Using his lower height he lets his head drop and he latches onto the mutt's front leg with all the power his pitbull blood grants him. Between the strength in his jaws and the amount of struggling the mutt is doing it only takes a few seconds for him to feel more than hear the mutt's leg break. As soon as it gives he's retreating to his previous stance once more protecting the cats and warding off the two remaining Sheps.

Almost immediate he can tell _that _plan won't work again. Not with the way the remaining two mutts are on guard. To his surprise, however, the third gets back up, standing as firm as he can with a broken leg and the Demon snarls, his teeth gleaming red in the dim light. "Try it again and I'll break your other leg."

The third Shep seems to think about his choices before attempting to back away. At least until the fourth dog standing behind the Sheps steps forward garnering the attention of all five dogs present.

"You are such a coward you would run from a mutt like this?" The dog, now that he's not so hidden in shadow, looks something like a mix between a Shep and a chihuahua. Demon, while horrifyingly transfixed on the weird dog, remembers there is, in fact, a reason for him being cornered and silently signals the cats by twitching an ear. While the Sheps are distracted being talked down to by a dog _four times smaller _than they are Demon hears nearly silent paw steps signaling the cats have run off.

Demon huffs, catching their attention. "Like you've got room to talk midget. You've got your tail tucked between your legs and are hiding behind dogs three times your size. At least these three know who their dams and sires are!"

The—fuck it, he's just gonna call it a Shepchi—Shepchi's eyes fall halfway closed, his lips lifting in the beginnings of snarl and it stomps forward as if his diminutive size is anything to sneeze at. "A mutt like you could never understand breeding like mine."

Staring at him in something akin to _huh?_ For a pawful of seconds, Demon begins a huffing like laughter that has the Shepchi getting angrier. After a minute he calms down and steps forward, dark brown eyes nearly coal in color. "At least _I _can admit I'm a mutt." He lurches forward, trying to bite the Shepchi to teach him a lesson but a nod from the ugly mutt has the Shepherds reacting.

The one with the broken leg steps in between them, separating him from his target. One of the still healthy ones hits him from the side with the speed of a car and the third...he doesn't quite know where the third is until he's lying belly up, his head spinning and a set of jaws at his throat. With the third Shep's jaws set firmly but loosely around the fur on his throat Demon knows he's dead.

_Damn, _he huffs, lying completely still to avoid those teeth sinking any deeper. _If I had known this was how I was gonna die I woulda just ran into the Academy and took as many mutts as I could with me. _A thought occurs to him. Would he _really_ have been that insane to do something that crazy? After pondering it he mentally groans. _Yes, yes I would be that crazy._

XxX

"I'm boooored." The Capuchin groans, uncaring that the pigeons on the fountain nearby are giving him odd looks. He's been all over the park—he learned it's not actually a forest from a friendly old Husky after almost flying out of a tree into traffic—and yet still has not found the Training Academy. All the while, the nagging _findimportantnow! _has been getting worse and worse with the growing height of the sun. He'd thought for sure that finding the Academy would be easy with the pigeon's directions but after getting caught up in a game of cat and mouse with a Feral, Slap-the-Water with the ducks, and scaring a flock of pigeons with some Terriers, he's gone and gotten himself turned around. Which is most likely why he's moping at the top of the metal bars in one of the Human playgrounds.

At least until a howl of pain gets his attention. It's too low for Humans to hear above the sound of traffic and their own talking but for an animal, it's loud and clear _especially _with how close it sounded. Luffy sits up, turning his head to try and hear better when he realizes it'd come from further inside the park. Jumping off the bars, he races up to the fountain, baring his teeth just the slightest at the pigeons. "The sound! Where'd it come from?"

Majority of the flock takes off at the aggression displayed. One does not. He points a wing in the direction of one of the Human paths and Luffy takes off with a wave of his tail in gratitude. The Capuchin sticks to the ground, _waryonguardattention! _warning him that the answer isn't in the trees this time.

He's racing across one of the mini-bridges leading to underground tunnels when he spots a brindle cat running the other way with a kitten in her mouth. The cat waves her tail in a warning and Luffy slides to a stop, his tail curling with impatience.

"Please," The cat pants, pointing her tail at the entrance to the tunnel. "Shepherds...Pit Bull...Saved us!" Though her words are scattered Luffy has a pretty good idea what happened and without answering races for the railing. Jumping over, he grabs the last brick and flips into the tunnel.

He doesn't expect to land on something soft or for that something soft to give a yelp of pain but it helps him get his bearings as he gets up, teeth bared in anger.

Looking at the scene before him he already doesn't like what he sees. Three Shepherds ganging up on one Pit Bull is not a fair fight. A soft groan has him looking down at his feet and he tilts his head, lifting first one foot then the other to get a good look at the unconscious odd-looking small dog. Having never seen a breed like this before Luffy writes it off as a mutt before turning back to the situation in front of him.

One Shepherd is already injured, its' front leg sitting at an angle it shouldn't be. The second and third are healthy as far as he can see though, judging from how the second has a paw on the Pit Bull's stomach and the way its' looking at him Luffy had crashed in at the right time. The third Shepherd quickly gains his attention though. It's slinking around, attempting to get around the injured Shepherd without either Luffy or the Pit Bull seeing.

Snarling, Luffy leaps over the injured Shepherd and tackles the third, his teeth sinking into the dog's scruff hard enough for him to not let go. The Shepherd whines, turning his head this way and that to try and get at the Capuchin but Luffy has experience with fighting dogs like these. He curls his tail in, wrapping it around his waist, and positions himself so he's sitting in between the dog's shoulder blades before reaching up and grabbing hold of the dog's ears.

Brief tugging on first one ear then the other controls the dog's head. Add in rebiting the dog's scruff and the dog starts hurtling forward in a haphazard line in an attempt to get rid of the Capuchin.

Luffy aims the Shepherd for the injured one, having noticed the Pit Bull managing to get up and fend his own against the third Shepherd. It's not hard 'steering' the dog, but what is hard is making sure he doesn't get pinned in between the two dogs that are three times his height and weight and the mutt still unconscious on the ground. Just as the Shepherd being controlled hits the injured dog Luffy lets go, attempting to jump off when the dog he's been riding jerks its head around and grabs onto his foot.

XxX

Demon doesn't know what's going on but if it keeps him alive for a little longer then he'll worry about the _why _later. When some undoggly like screech echoes through the tunnel he bites back a whimper at the ringing in his ears and turns his head to find the mutt overtop of him distracted. Now that he can get a good look he finds all three are distracted.

The '_By what?' _question gets answered when a black blur jumps over the injured Shep and lands on the one that had side tackled him. When the creature—like hell if he's gonna waste time figuring out what it is right now—bites down on the Shep's scruff, it catches his attention. Particularly when it starts a maneuver it appears to have memorized _just _for fighting large dogs like Sheps.

The fact it's sitting in between the mutt's shoulders—the one spot no dog can reach no matter how much they try—and yanking on its' ears like leashes, is brilliant. When the Shep charges forward at the one he'd bitten earlier Demon shakes his thoughts and turns on the one who'd tried to kill him.

Reaching up, he gets a good bite on the mutt's shoulder joint and _clamps _down. The Shep starts backing away, howling from the pain, and Demon uses the momentum to pull himself back on his feet. Once he's on all four he releases his bite only to adjust the angle a few degrees and aim for the Shep's neck. The mutt jumps away and Demon's jaws close with a loud _snap. _Thankfully, the mutt gets the message and turns tail, leaving behind his packmates without question.

"Coward." Demon snorts, turning back to look for his miniature rescuer. Almost immediately his ears dip in discontent. There are three new blood scents from what he can tell. Two belong to the Sheps he's bitten but the third...it doesn't smell like any of the dogs present. Walking toward the pile of unconscious bodies he pushes aside one of the Sheps with a huff, uncovering a furball looking at him through glazed eyes.

It doesn't escape him the furball has a harness on, or that it looks like those monkeys he talks to in the zoo every now and again. Gently, he picks the monkey—because he's sure it is a monkey if not which type—by his harness and pulls him out of the pile.

The monkey grins, his tail twitching as if trying to display its owner's pleasure. "Are you okay?"

Demon twitches an ear, patiently sitting down while the monkey struggles to sit up. "I should be asking you that. You don't exactly look like you're up for climbing any trees."

With that comment the monkey looks down, his tail drooping when he catches sight of the badly torn foot. It throws Demon for a loop when the monkey shrugs, his tail picking back up. "I'll be okay. If I can't make it back to my Human by sunset she'll find me." Then he looks up, hiding his teeth as well as he can. "I'm Luffy, what do they call you?"

Right away, Demon decides Luffy is something of an enigma. His emotions crazier than that of a bee's on a windy day. Even still he looks away, his ear twitching. "They call me Demon." When one of the Sheps in the pile emits a groan, Demon turns his snout to the exit, one dark brown eye on the injured monkey. "Come on, let's get out of here before they wake up. I doubt you'll be able to handle even one of them the way you are."

Demon stands up, walking toward the exit and Luffy huffs. "I can handle one of th—" He groans and Demon looks back, not exactly surprised to find the hard-headed monkey had tried to walk by himself. Shaking himself, Demon turns around and picks Luffy up by his harness, reaching back to set the monkey on his back as best he can.

XxX

Luffy looks at the Pit Bull in surprise and Demon huffs, looking away from the Capuchin. "Look, just because I got saved by a monkey of all things doesn't mean I don't have enough honor to know when to help someone." As he walks out of the tunnel, Luffy centers himself on Demon's back and Demon glances at him, his eye passing over the pile of Shepherds. "Besides," he continues quietly. "If such a small thing like you can fight like _that _it'd be a waste to leave you to those mutts."

Resting on Demon's back his snout is filled with the strange Pit Bull's scent and for some reason, the yawning hole, the _paincoldfear _and _notrightdanger_ have gotten smaller. They're still there, still present and visible but not as frightening anymore. As if this odd green as grass Pit Bull is meant to be a part of him, a part of his _troop_.

Luffy shifts, his eyes landing on the walkway ahead of them and he yawns, suddenly exhausted from the day's events. "Hey, Demon?" He murmurs, his paws reaching into the Pit Bull's scruff.

"Yeah, Luffy?"

Something occurs to him and though tired, he realizes he doesn't care for what the answer may be. "Will you join my troop?"

XxX

Demon halts in his tracks for the merest of moments before continuing, his snout to the ground to track the scent. He may not be as good as a hunting dog but he knows his trails well enough to not get completely lost...most of the time.

As he walks Luffy's question rolls around in his head. He's not too sure what a troop is but if it's anything like a _pack _then...it still leaves him at a loss. For as long as he can remember he's never been part of a pack. Sure there are _wisps _of scent of littermates from when he was a pup but other than that it's always been _fight, fight, fight_ never _protect, fight, protect. _

He glances back, finding the monkey's head resting on his shoulder and at first, he assumes Luffy is asleep until he shifts the shoulder the monkey's head is on and his eyes open. "It depends," he rumbles, now noticing the Human scent on Luffy's harness is getting stronger. "what does troop mean to you?"

The monkey's eyes seem to shine brighter at the question. "A troop is family, _nakama_." He starts quietly. "They chase the nightmares away, keep you warm when you're cold, they fight off the loneliness and give you a reason to keep fighting."

_Protect, fight, protect. _His instincts agree with the monkey's words. To be offered something so incredible after being alone for so long is an amazing feeling...one he doubts he could go without for a day more.

Ahead of them on a bench, a Human with pink hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing a black hoodie and white jeans is reading a book, her posture reading worry.

Demon rumbles, looking back at Luffy. "Yeah, I think I would like to join your troop." Luffy chirps in joy, gaining the Human's attention. She looks up, her expression going wide in shock and she gets up, rushing over to them. When she's a couple of feet away she kneels, making calming noises at Demon and Luffy sits up, grinning at her in delight.

She scowls at the monkey, reaching forward to grab him up when Demon makes no move to stop her. "Oh Luffy, what did you get into now?" Luffy just grins, looking all too innocent for the trouble Demon knows he'd caused earlier. The Human just shakes her head, turning back to Demon and holding out her hand. "Who's your friend Luffy?"

Warily, Demon sets his snout in her hand, eyeing the appendage until he feels her fingers begin to scratch under his jaw and up to his ear. She stops when she notices his left ear, looking into his eyes with a soft look before scratching around the three holes scarred into the flesh. His body is nothing but a maze of scars, the three in his ear being the oldest of them, but he finds no guilt or shame in them. They tell his story of his fight to live for as long as he has.

She hums, her fingers trailing along his neck. "No collar and you're much too thin." Then she looks down at the monkey in her other arm. "What do you say, Luffy? Wanna take him home?" Luffy chirps an agreement and his Human, _their _Human reaches out to stroke Demon's ear. "Come on, Zoro, let's go home and get you cleaned up."

The newly dubbed Zoro looks at Luffy, flicking his ear in question and the monkey grins. "Demon is Zoro. Zoro is Nakama."

_Zoro is Nakama. _Everything about that statement just feels _right_. Zoro huffs, walking after their Human when she returns to the bench to gather her things. As she clicks the leash onto Luffy's harness, Zoro's struck with another thought. His day had started out shitty. From Crows to Animal Control to Pigeons and Elder Humans to a fight he didn't think he was gonna win and now...Now he's gonna have a home, a _pack _with a stubborn monkey and a kind Human.

No longer does he have to go by Demon on the streets because of his history. Now he goes by Zoro because Zoro is Nakama.

* * *

***grins* Anyone wanna take a guess who was who this chapter? Still trying to figure a few things out for Nami and her situation but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. In the meantime hope y'all enjoyed the chapter and I'll be back sometime with the next chapter.**

**_Beautybydaysi_ \- thank you for the compliment. I'm finding it fun trying to figure out what animals the characters relate best to. _And _I even have an idea for some holiday fun. **

_**Guest**_** \- I'm happy to hear it. Now that Zoro's become part of the troop, care to take a guess what kind of hijinks those two will get into before Nami comes around to settle them down?**

**Grizzly out for the night.**


End file.
